MORE than 300 teaching and support staff have been told they are at risk of redundancy at Loughborough College as part of a massive re-structure.

Leaked staff consultation documents handed to the Echo set out the planned proposals for the college which supports around 11,000 town students.

The documents, handed out to staff on May 6 when they were told their jobs were at risk, say the college is facing a large reduction in Government funding and it may need to reduce its pay expenditure by £1.25m.

The papers go on to say the college is proposing to reduce the number of lecturers and increase their working hours from 35 to 37 per week and to cut their holidays from 60 days to 50 days.

The majority of staff will not see a pay increase as part of these proposals.

Positions affected by the restructure are mentioned in the documents, including 153 in lecturing, 171 support staff and five professional trainers.

There will also be a change of terms and conditions for 39 management roles.

It is also proposing to create additional instructor posts on support contracts.

The documents also state: “While it is hoped there will be a role in the new structure for all employees (albeit this may be different from the current role), it is acknowledged that a small number of redundancies are a possible outcome of the consultation process.”

It also states that a reduction in Government funding, which includes more than £500,000 from the Skills Funding Agency, has put “a strain on the college and its ability to continue operating for the benefit of students, the College and its employees.”

Vanessa Maughan, regional support officer for the East Midlands at the University and College Union (UCU), which is supporting some of the affected staff, told the Echo: “These changes could put at risk over 300 jobs. But the college has not provided the union with the business plan on delivery so we do not know where the jobs at risk are.

“We hope there are no redundancies at the end of the process.

“There has been a significant shortfall in funding for colleges but there needs to be key questions because colleges do have significant reserves.

“We are trying to find out what their reserves are. If the proposals put jobs at risk, if there is significant money in reserves it could be used to offset the shortfall in funding.”

Mrs Maughan said there is the potential that there will be less lecturing posts at the college and more support roles on less pay.

She said this would cause “concerns on the quality of teaching in the future.”

Jackie Dean, branch secretary for Unison Leicestershire County, said: “The college is engaging with us and doing it in a timely and orderly manner. We will be working with the college to minimise the impact on our members.”

In a statement for the Echo Loughborough College chief executive Esme Winch said: “Loughborough College announced a six week formal consultation on May 6.

“Our proposal to make changes at this time was aimed at minimising disruption to our students. We hope there will be a role for all employees in the new structure, which will transform lecturing and instructing to improve the experience and job prospects of our students.”

One current member of staff, who did not wish to be named, told the Echo: “It is with great sadness that I say this because Loughborough College is an iconic part of Loughborough.

“All may seem good when looking at an impressive and emerging new building but behind the facade the people themselves, the real-life bricks of any organisation, are crumbling big time.

“Worse still, it is inconceivable that this latest blow to teaching staff, already stretched to their limits, is not going to have a knock-on effect to the students, however professional they are in going about their business.”

A 45-day consultation is currently underway with the outcome released on June 23.

Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan told the Echo: “I don’t think the management team will put at risk the quality of teaching. The college is judged by the quality of teaching and the outcome of students. My concern is that we have to make sure Loughborough College maintains its strong reputation.”